these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

sports day.
The sports pitches and outfields are
soil based, having a 300mm depth of
natural soil overlying Dorset limestone
bedrock, so they tend to drain very well.
The sports pitches are mown weekly
between 25-30mm, depending on time of
year, using a Toro triple cylinder mower.
Every year, Joe renovates the winter
sports pitches, usually scarifying,
vertidraining, topdressing and
overseeding them. He is governed by a
tight budget, so not all the pitches get
the amount of topdressings he would
like; he often has to prioritise which ones
get topdressed. Sixty tonnes per pitch is
the norm.
The staff take pride in the presentation
of their pitches and currently use a spray
jet linemarker for best results, marking
on a weekly and/or fixture basis. String
lines are used at all times.
In addition, there is a nine hole golf
course, designed by Peter Aliss in 1972,
that wraps itself cozily around the abbey.
It is here that the best views of the
building can be had, along with some
magnificent old cedar trees, all of which
appear to watch every shot played!
Brian is in charge of maintaining and
presenting the course. It is available to
150 local members all year round, who
have access every day from 8.00am until
12.30pm, and at weekends. Afternoons
and evenings are reserved for the pupils.
Greens are mown daily in the summer
months and kept at around 5mm. Tees
are mown twice or three times a week to
Schools & Colleges
The golf course wraps itself around the abbey
12mm, and fairways are cut at 15mm
once a week. The rough is also cut
weekly. The school have invested in a
Toro 5500 fairway mower and Toro 3100
Triple cylinder mower to maintain the
course.
Joe, Lee and Chris Prior look after the
cricket facilities. The main square has
seven wickets, of which four where relaid
two years ago, digging out to a depth of
100mm and replacing with new Ongar
loam. Joe and his staff carried out the
work themselves and have been very
pleased with the results, which has led to
Dorset U17s now regularly playing on
the square. Dorset U10-U18 also use the
cricket facilities three time a week during
the summer.
The setting for the sports pitches is
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 97